A newly discovered function of PARP-1 could be the key to more effective therapeutics to treat advanced prostate cancer patients, a recent preclinical study published in Cancer Discovery by Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center researchers suggests. The team, led by Karen E. Knudsen, Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Cancer Biology, Urology, & Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University, found that functions of PARP-1 not only include DNA damage repair but also androgen receptor (AR) regulation in advanced prostate cancer growth and progression. PARP inhibition in various models was found to suppress AR activity, which fuels prostate growth.